From WTOP:
Members of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, a coalition of faith-based organizations, Tuesday stacked boxes filled with 113,000 signatures on petitions in front of the office of Maryland’s Secretary of State.
The signatures are being submitted in an effort to put the state’s same-sex marriage to a vote in November.
Under Maryland law, more than 55,000 signatures are needed to bring an issue to a referendum. The group was required to submit one-third of that number by Thursday, and said the fact that they’ve collected more than double the number for final submission shows the strength of their position.
Or does it?
The Rev. MacArthur Flournoy, speaking for [gay marriage equality supporters], said it was no surprise that opponents collected an abundance of signatures, but remained confident the same-sex marriage law will stand. He cited a poll commissioned by his group that shows Marylanders support same-sex marriage by a 57-37 percent margin.
“We’ve also seen a demonstrative move in the direction of support for marriage equality in the African-American community,” Flournoy said. “Historically that is an area that needed to see some growth, some movement — we’ve seen that growth.”
The signatures still subject to verification and certification
